Kosovo

The first inhabitants on the Balkan Peninsula were the ancient people known as the Illyrians. The Slavs followed in the 6th and 7th centuries. Albanian speakers began moving into Kosovo from the Adriatic in the 8th century. Kosovo was ruled by Bulgaria from the 9th century until Serbs gained control of Kosovo in the 12th century. Kosovo was the site of the Serbs' defeat by the Ottoman Turks in 1389. Kosovo was then absorbed by the Ottoman Empire. The battle at Kosovo Field figures prominently in Serbian poetry and has great national significance as the cradle of Serbian civilization.

The Ottoman Empire ruled Kosovo for centuries, until 1913, when Serbia resumed control over the region. Under Ottoman rule, the region grew increasingly more populated by Albanian speakers as a large number of Christian Serbs emigrated. (Albanians are largely Muslim.) In 1918, Kosovo became part of the Yugoslav Federation.

Independence of Kosovo
Negotiations between the European Union, Russia, and the United States on the future of Kosovo ended in stalemate in November 2007. On Feb. 17, 2008, Kosovar prime minister Hashim Thaçi declared independence from Serbia.

Name

Kosovo

Capital

 Pristina (Prishtina or Priština)

Government

disputed - UNSG Special Representative Lamberto Zannier (UN) -  Serb assembly president    Radovan Ničić - Republic of Kosovo president Behgjet Pacolli

Area

Total 10,908 km2 4,212 sq mi

Population

2007 estimate 1,804,838[2]  -  1991 census 1,956,1961   

GDP (nominal)

2009 estimate -  Total $5.352 billion[3]

Currency

 Euro (€); Serbian Dinar (EUR; RSD)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1) -  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)